Bobby pin reconditioning device



Mafch 25, 1952 2,590,364

T. L. ADAS y BOBBY PIN RECONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Nov.. 1, 1949 3Sheets-Sheet l March 25, 1952 Filed Nov. 1, 1949 T. L.. ADAS BOBBY PINRECONDITIONING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

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' BOBBY PIN RECONDITIONING DEVICE Filed Nov. 1, 1949v 's sheets-sheet :s

"in place. `by pinching between the ngers is impossible.

Patented Mar. 25, 1952 A'UNITED STATES PATENT orner:

BOBBY PIN RECONDITIONIN G` DEVICE Thomas L. Adas, Chicago,'ll.

Application November 1, 1949, Serial No. 124,830

n (Cl. 871-15) 2 Claims. 1

lMy invention relates Vto a device for re-conditioningvspreadbobby pinsand the like.

In applying a bobby pin to the hair, the two Sides are spread apart fromtheir normal mutually contacting relation toreceive between them a tress`of hair which the pin is to hold in place. Though bobby pins are madeof tempered metal, in repeated use they soon become sprung so that theyfail .to reclose to properly hold locks of hair To restore them to theiroriginal set Restoring the sprung pins by use of a pair of pinchers orpliers requires both an adeptness in manipulating the pin and tool andan understanding of the properties of metals which `few bobby pin userspossess, and is, in any case,

diicult and tedious.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a very simple,inexpensive, small tool or irnplement by which 'even those least skilledin manipulating tools can easily, rapidly and surely restore spreadbobby pins to proper condition for prolonged eicient re-use.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparentfrom thefollowing description with reference to the accompanying drawings inwhich Figure 1 is a perspective view of one form of my bobby pinreconditioning implement in open condition .with a badly sprung bobbypin inserted;

Figs. 2, 3 and 4 are plan, side elevational and 'fend elevational viewsof the device of Fig. 1;

Figs. l5, 6 and 7 illustrate progressively the operation and effect ofthe device of Fig. 1 in re- -storing a spread bobby pin; and

Figs. 8, 9 and 1-0 are plan, side and end views of a. second form of mybobby pin restoring device.

The device of Figs. 1 to 7 comprises .a small base member II, having, onits upper side, two spaced studs or pins I2 and I3 and a pivot stud orpin I4 onwhich a cam lever I5 is swingably mounted. The lever I has acam portion I6, shaped in accordance with the principles discussedhereinafter. In the example shown in Figs. 1 to 7, the periphery of thecam I6 is an arc centered at the point II.

In this description and in the appended claims, references to the U-bentportion of the bobby pin are intended to designate the more or lesssemicircular bent yoke portion of the bobby pin and references to theends of the U-bend or to the ends of the U-bent portion are intended todesignate the points at which the ends of the more or less semicircularyoke portion ofthe U Ijoin the more or less straight side legsofthe'U.

A sprung bobby pin Bis laid flat on theupper side of the base I I withits U-'bent yportion between vthe studs I2 and I3 and the cam I6. Thepin is placed into contact with both ofthe studs I2 and I3, the stud I2engaging the pin at about the middle and the stud I3 contacting at aboutone end of the U-bent portion. The lever I5 is swung toward the bobbypin to bring its cam edge I6 into engagement with the pin near the otherend of the U-bent portion as shown in Fig. 5. By continuing closingmovement of the lever I5, the cam I6, sliding a little on the bobby pinas it urges the pin against the stud I2, presses the ends of the Ubentportion of the pin together as shown progressively in Figs. 6 and 7. InFig. 6, the two sides of the bobby pin are in their normal positionsrelative to each other. If the movement of the lever I5 were reversed atthis point, the bobby pin would spring back part way and the sides wouldagain separate a little. However, the closing movement of the lever `I5is continued until the twosides of the bobby pin, rocking relatively toeach other about their point of mutual contact C nearest to the U-bentportion, separate a little at their free ends. Thereafter, uponrelieving finger pressure on the lever I5 and permitting it to movereversely, the U-bent portion of the bobby pin springs back suiiicientlyto bring the free ends of its sides again into'pressure contact withoutseparating atr their innermost point of contact',i. e., the sides of thepin are again in pressure contact with each other throughout or atspaced The implement of my invention has the advan-A tages of beingcapable of properly reconditioning bobby pins of all sizes and shapespresently used, and of being so simple, easy and rapid in use that anybobby pin user may properly recondiy tion a large number of bobby pinsby means of my device in a very short time. Further, the new device issmall and light and well adapted 3 to be carried in a small purse alongwith the numerous other articles usually found therein.

It has been found that the relative positions of the studs I2 and I3 andof the pivot I4 should be rather close to those shown in Figs. 1 to 7where the center of pivot I4 is on one side I8 of a right angle, the twosides I8, I9 of which are outwardly tangent to the pins I2 and I3,respectively, at equal distances from the vertex of the angle. In otherwords, the centers of the studs are on a line which forms an angle ofsubstantially 135 With that extended line from the center of the pivotI4 which is tangent to the stud I2 on the side nearest the stud I3. Asalready mentioned, the edge of the cam I6 is an arc centered at I1. Itwill be further noted that the ratio of the distance from the cam centerII to the center of the pivot I4 is more than half the radius of thecam. These relationships may be varied a little, provided that, duringthe closing movement of the ca-m lever I5, the cam I6, actingfrictionally on the side of the bobby pin near one end of the U-bentpart, urges the bobby pin against the studs I2 and I3, and furtherprovided that, during that portion of the reconditioning operation 4fromthe stage of Fig. 6 to the final stage of Fig. 7, the pin I3 and the camI6 press on the bobby pin at substantially the ends of the U-bend of thelatter rather than on the sides of the pin at any substantial distancefrom the ends of the U-bend.

As a specific example, a device of the form shown in Figs. 1 to 7 withthe following dimensions has been found to operate excellently on a verywide variety of currently used bobby pins: The studs areone-eighth inchin diameter spaced one-fourth inchbetween centers. The center of thepivot is twentyone sixty-fourths of an inch from the center of the studI2. The cam has a radius of curvature of one-half inch with its centerlive sixteenths of an inch from the center of the pivot I4. The ratio ofthe distance from the pivot center to the center of the cam arc to theradius of the cam arc may vary somewhat but it is considered preferableto keep this ratio between one-half and three-fourths. The overalllength may Vary considerably but about three incheswill be foundconvenient.

The device may be made of various materials. For example, the entiredevice may be of metal, the parts II and I5, I6 being stamped orotherwise cut from one-eighth inch sheet. The parts II and I5, I6 oreither of them mightbe made of a relatively hard and tough sheet ofplastic cast or molded with integral studs.

aaeoei Figs. 8, 9 and 10 show a form of my device which may be molded ofa hard. tough, thermosetting plastic such as a polystyrene resin. Thisform of my device is formed entirely of molded plastic except that thepivot for the cam lever 20 is a hollow rivet or eyelet 2l. In place offthe two studs I2 and I3 of the device of Figs. 1 to 7, the device ofFigs. 8, 9 and 10 has rounded angular boss 22 formed integrally with thebase 23 and adapted to engage the U-bent part of a bobby pin at or closeto the same points at which the latter would be engaged by the studs I2and I3 of the device of Figs. 1 to 7. In other respects, the form of thedevice of Figs. 8, 9 and 10 may be like that of the device of Figs. 1 to7.

The form of my device shown in Figs. 8, 9 and 10 may, alternatively, bemade of metal, such as cold drawn aluminum, formed in coining dies.

I claim:

1. A device for reconditioning bobby pins and the like comprising, abase plate having a substantially flat continuous surface, a leverpivoted adjacent anv end thereof to said base plate on an axis norma-lto said surface and for swinging movement closely adjacent said surface,an edge of said lever adjacent said axis being formed as an arcuate camsurface of substantial width extending swbstantially to said continuoussurface of said base and generally normal thereto. a pair of spacedabutments xed tosaid base plate and extending substantially normal tosaid continuous surface, said abutments being spaced from said pivotaxis and arranged to dene, with said arcuate cam, a pocket adapted toreceive the U-bend of a sprung bobby pin with its leg portions lying atagainst said continuous surface, said abutments having work-engagingportions lying respectively in the two sides of a right angle, one ofthe sides olf which passes through the pivot axis, said portions beingsubstantially equidistant from the vertex of said right angle.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 497,116 Brown May 9, 18931,435,112 Frederickson et al. Nov. 7, 1922 2,211,528 Tays Aug. 13, 19402,268,628 SuSzko Jan. 6, 1942 2,456,532

Perazzo Dec. 14, 1948

